Predictors of nodal metastases in early stage HER2+ breast cancer: Deciding on treatment approach with neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs. upfront surgery.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate preoperative predictors of nodal metastases in patients with early-stage, HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. METHODS: The SEER Database was queried to identify women with a first diagnosis of stage I-II (T1-T2) HER2-positive breast cancer treated with upfront surgery in 2018. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify clinical characteristics independently associated with nodal involvement. RESULTS: Overall, 3333 women with stage I-II HER2+ breast cancer met inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 59 years (IQR, 51-69 years). Most patients underwent breast-conserving surgery (60.9%), with a median of 3 (IQR 2-4) axillary lymph nodes removed. On final pathology, 762 (22.9%) of T1-T2 HER2+ patients were node positive; 2.7% pN0[i+], 3.7% pN1mi, 15.1% pN1, and 1.4% pN2. Women less than 40 years and those between 40 and 49 years showed the highest proportion of axillary lymph node metastasis, in 33.7% and 30.7% respectively, and declining with age (p < 0.001). Patients with triple-positive breast cancer had the highest rates of nodal involvement (24.8%), compared to 20.7% ER+/PR-/HER2+ and 19.6% of HER2-enriched patients (p = 0.006). On adjusted analysis, age, biologic subtype, tumour size, and type of surgery remained independent predictors of nodal involvement. On subgroup analysis, women under age 50 with T1c HER2-enriched or triple-positive breast cancer had a 33% and 35% incidence of nodal involvement, which declined with age. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of pathologic nodal involvement in early-stage HER2+ breast cancer is contingent on age, ER/PR status, and tumour size.

Systemic sarcoidosis mimicking metastatic renal cell carcinoma with subsequent cardiac involvement.

There exists a well-established association between sarcoidosis and many solid and hematologic malignancies however it is a less frequently described phenomenon in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Moreover the majority of described cases presented with local sarcoid-like reactions in close proximity to the tumor with comparatively few reports of more distant disease. Given the relatively low number of cases there remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the clinical behaviour of sarcoidosis in the setting of renal cell carcinoma. We report the case of a patient with surgically resected renal cell carcinoma who, several years later, developed bilateral pulmonary nodules, intra-thoracic lymphadenopathy as well as splenic, hepatic and osseous lesions. After extensive investigation, culminating in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical resection, he was found to have sarcoidosis. He remained asymptomatic for many years before being diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis, which was found to be inactive and did not require any treatment. Both his sarcoidosis and underlying renal cell carcinoma have remained in remission to date. This case highlights the variable behaviour of sarcoidosis in these patients and underscores the importance of obtaining an accurate tissue diagnosis in the setting of suspected metastatic disease. Additionally, it underscores the importance of close monitoring and long-term follow up as these patients may develop significant organ involvement, even many years after diagnosis. Interestingly the patient's renal cell carcinoma remained in remission, raising questions about whether the development of sarcoidosis portends a better prognosis in patients with an underlying solid malignancy.